CCSVI at BioScience Research Institute
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency is a chronic condition, if left untreated, which causes blood from the brain and spine to be slowed or stopped in its attempt to flow back to the heart.
The condition is caused by Stenosis, a narrowing of the veins that are primarily used to allow blood flow from the spine and brain. This usually occurs in the jugular and azygos veins.
When these veins become narrowed, blood takes longer to get back to the heart and in time, causes the blood to reflux. Reflux is the term given to blood being forced back into the brain or spine. If this occurs leakage of red blood cells and other fluids can flow into the tissue of the brain and spine, at times crossing the crucial blood brain barrier. If blood stays in the brain for a prolonged period a slowed perfusion may occur. This is the delay of deoxygenated blood leaving the head. This causes a lack of oxygen or what is known as hypoxia in the brain and has been linked to fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis.
A leading surgeon named Dr. Paolo Zamboni from Italy completed a preliminary study using ultrasound and MRV (magnetic resonance venography) to examine the blood vessels leading in and out of the brain of hundreds of patients and ordinary healthy controls. Dr. Zamboni discovered that the majority of the patients with multiple sclerosis including one of which happened to be his wife, had jugular and azygos veins, which where distorted or blocked. In the healthy controls without multiple sclerosis, the veins or vessels were not.
Dr. Zamboni theorises that CCSVI causes a build up of iron in the brain and causes damage to important blood vessels. The damage allows metals and other unwelcome cells such as immune cells, to cross the crucial blood brain barrier. This important barrier keeps blood and cerebrospinal fluid divided. Dr. Zamboni believes that the damage caused in CCSVI allows immune cells to cross the blood brain barrier leading to destruction of myelin, which is a crucial sheathing coating human nerves
What causes CCSVI?
Everyone who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) wonders at some point what caused them to have MS – was it something we were born with, something we ate, something we did (or didn’t do)? Now there is a theory that chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (or CCSVI) is the cause of MS. While the CCSVI and MS link is still in the early stages of research (and acceptance by much of the medical community), let’s look at what the proponents of this theory, Dr. Paolo Zamboni and his colleagues, say about the causes of CCSVI:
Congenital “Plumbing Problem” Idea
According to the theory, CCSVI is the result of a “plumbing problem” in the veins of people with MS. It is hypothesized that this is something that we (people who eventually develop MS) are born with – malformed or narrow veins that get progressively narrower as time goes on. Since there is a genetic link to MS, this seems plausible.
Autoimmune Response to Infection Theory
It is also possible that these malformed veins are actually the result of an autoimmune attack on the valves in the cerebral venous system, which causes chronic inflammation and scarring. There are some who theorize that this could be triggered by any number of viruses or bacteria, as there are links between MS and Chlamydia pneumoniae and “neurotropic” viruses like measles, rubella and varicella (among others). There is a VERY strong correlation between Epstein Barr Virus and MS, as well.
